It is time to unveil some of the surprises you have all been waiting for! Thursday evening we will welcome a storyteller that has already impressed many at the Penetanguishene Winterama: le Pére Garneau. This amazing storyteller from Eastern Ontario weaves stories that are sure to entertain.
Starting off Friday night’s festivities, the Viamonde Stage will host some of our local talents. To get the party started in the Pavilion, Les Générations will take us through some of the greatest moments of francophone music. Their amazing voices blended with their colorful music and humor are the perfect ingredients for a great night! Also in the spotlight will be talented local emerging artists! This will be followed by the highly anticipated Le groupe Swing. Friday evening promises to be a great time!
Do you recall seeing les Moutons (the sheep) two years ago? Three sheep and a shepherd that made us “beh” for more… To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Corpus, the troop that put on that show, they will be back to present their “20 years, 20 sheep” show!
The Saturday of the Festival will also be something to look forward to. The tractor parade will be back for the second year in a row. In addition to the tractors, some floats will be added to the parade this year! One of them will host the Quebec music and dancing troop Les Jarrets noirs. They will open Saturday night’s Le grand hurlement with various folk dances and they will also be entertaining audiences at the music tent with their great music!
To finish in style, the Sainte-Croix Parish will spoil us again with a brunch following the Sunday morning folk mass. The 14th Festival du Loup is slowly shaping up and we can’t wait to see you from the 13th to the 16th of July in Lafontaine!
The Festival du Loup’s 14th edition is a must see as part of this summer’s fun things to do. Here is a sample what you can expect.
Friday night starts with a cool breeze brought on by Le groupe Swing (LGS). They are freshly back from the motherland, where they gave a series of concerts. Electro-trad at its best, with a sound dubbed folktronica. After France, Lafontaine!
The closing event of Saturday’s Great Howling Evening will be Ariko’s new album launch! They will close the celebrations by performing numbers from their new album as well as dance music that only they know how to deliver. The sisters, Nicole, Jill and Kelly, have just returned from Ottawa where they performed alongside Jean-Marc Lalonde and Damien Robitaille during the concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of the ‘rassemblement pour l’hôpital Montfort’. The Lefaive family is getting ready for something you won’t forget!
The Great Howling Evening’s lineup also includes a band from Montreal, Les Chiens de Ruelle. Their style is a hardy mix of folk, blues and gypsy music that is between busking and an invitation to party! These performers find their doghouse just about everywhere they go.
More surprises to come!
On March 22nd, many Franco-Ontarian artists got together in Ottawa to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the SOS Montfort assembly. Among these artists, we find a few from Lafontaine: Damien Robitaille, Jean-Marc Lalonde, and Ariko!
Le Festival du Loup is in the midst of acquiring sponsorships for this year’s Festival. To become part of our winning team, follow this link:
Photo: Martin Lalonde, president, receives a cheque from our first sponsor. Nadine Lalonde, owner of Traductions Zip Zap Translations, is a loyal Festival du Loup sponsor and always the first to support us. Thank you!
La Meute culturelle de Lafontaine has a new and enthusiastic Administrative Committee. A warm welcome to Corrinne, Claire, and Bernadette. Also, a big thank you to Mikaela Lefaive for her precious contributions over the years. We miss you already…
Photo: Corrinne Prévost, Claire Thibideau, Bernadette Marchand, Ginette Pelletier; André Beausoleil, Marc Lalonde, Michel Payment
Everyone is welcome to attend la Meute culturelle’s annual general meeting (taking place entirely en français) on Thursday, Jan. 26 at le Villageois in Lafontaine.
The organization recently completed a strategic plan, which will be discussed during the meeting. La Meute culturelle de Lafontaine will also elect new council members and discuss past and future projects.
For more information, call 705-543-1535 or check out administrative rules for the organization (again, en français).
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the 2016 edition of Lafontaine’s Living Museum.
This antique rocking horse will be on display
Lafontaine’s Living Museum is looking for volunteers to welcome school groups from Monday, November 7 to Friday, November 11 from 9 a.m to 3 p.m.
If you speak French and would like to lend a hand, contact leloup@festivalduloup.on.ca or 705-543-1535.
Mary Andrushko is loaning the museum this poster, signed by the entire 1967 Maple Leafs team
The upcoming edition of Lafontaine’s Living Museum will showcase games and hobbies of the past through tours, activities, exhibits and even food. Visitors young and old, francophone and anglophone, are invited to visit Lafontaine Parish Hall to revisit what “fun” looked like before electronics.
The museum opens Sunday, November 6 with a chicken potpie dinner hosted by chef Larry Lalonde harkening back to Lafontaine’s old church bazaars. It closes on Saturday, November 12 with an antique hat parade followed by tea and desserts prepared by local baking legend Lucille Marchand. During the weekdays in between, the museum will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Volunteers will use stories and artefacts to bring historical pastimes to life. Visitors, including several hundred francophone students from local schools, will enjoy opportunities to play old games like marbles and crokinole.
Collecting was a popular pastime, and one exhibit is sure to impress hockey fans. Local antiquarian Marty Andrushko of Marty’s Antiques and Collectibles in Orillia’s Antique Mall has loaned his series of valuable hockey cards – some of them more than 100 years old. Other treasures from Marty include a Mic Mac hockey stick made of a single piece of wood, skates from the 1920s, and a poster signed by the entire Maple Leafs team in 1967: the year they last won the Stanley Cup.
Some of the other hobbies on display will include fishing, hunting, needlework, woodworking, sculpture, dancing and even gossiping at the corner store.
Tickets for the potpie dinner cost $20 for adults and $10 for children. They can be purchased at le Goût de Vivre (705-533-3349) and at la Meute culturelle (705-543-1535) in Lafontaine. Tickets for the museum can be purchased at the door.
